Department of Health and Social Care

Health Services: Databases

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance her Department issues on the (a) adoption by and (b) use in the NHS of System One computer software.

Andrew Stephenson: Decisions on the procurement, adoption, and use of SystmOne are made locally as part of standard procurement procedures, which adhere to compliant procurement guidelines. No additional guidance has been provided by the Department on the adoption or usage of SystmOne in the National Health Service.

NHS: Digital Technology

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what is the (a) final outturn spend for 2022-23, (b) forecast outturn for 2023-24 and (c) planned budget for 2024-25 for the NHS England Frontline Digitisation programme budget.

Andrew Stephenson: The final outturn spend for 2022/23 is £472.8 million. Outturn for 2023/24 is to be confirmed once the final accounts have been approved. Final confirmation of the budgets for 2024/25 is pending, and will be confirmed imminently.

Gender Dysphoria: Children

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children of which biological sex were prescribed puberty blockers in each year since 2010.

Maria Caulfield: Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists or ‘puberty blockers’ are used to treat several medical conditions in children and young people. These include precocious puberty, some forms of cancer, endometriosis and gender dysphoria. Information on biological sex is not held in the format requested.

Electronic Cigarettes: Sales

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many non-compliant disposable vaping products have been seized through Operation Joseph.

Andrea Leadsom: Data on the number of illicit vapes seized through Operation Joseph in the financial year 2023 to 2024 will be published shortly.Operation Joseph has identified that in the year before the Operation, 2.1 million illicit vapes were seized across England by Trading Standards from 2022 to 2023.

Electronic Cigarettes: Sales

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will publish a breakdown of the allocation of £3million government funding for Operation Joseph.

Andrea Leadsom: Operation Joseph was established to enforce the rules on vaping, and tackle illicit vapes and underage sales. It supplements work being undertaken by local authorities using existing local government funding. The £3 million of funding has been allocated over two years, from 2023/24 to 2024/25. A grant was provided to the National Trading Standards to commission specific areas of work, and to support local authorities. The following table shows the budget of each work area as of February 2024, as well as the total allocated: Work AreaBudgetBusiness Education£88,800Professional Training and Upskilling£164,400Intelligence and Data£500,000Supporting storage and disposal costs for local authority seizures£600,000Online test purchasing and website takedowns£80,000Market Surveillance and testing of vaping products£140,000Tackling the import of illegal vapes£1,087,000Programme Governance Communications and Evaluation£281,000Contingency£58,800Total Allocated£3,000,000Note: The figures shown are based on allocations in February 2024, and may be subject to change.

NHS 111: Dental Health

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2024 to Question 13013 on NHS 111: Dental Health, how many calls NHS 111 received relating to the categories of (a) Toothache without Dental Injury, (b) Dental Problems, (c) Other Dental Problems- Fillings, Crowns Bridges, Appliances etc, (d) Dental Module, (e) Dental Bleeding, (f) Toothache After Dental Injury, (g) Dental Injury and (h) Total volume of Triages with a Dental Symptom in each financial year since 2010-11.

Andrea Leadsom: On 7 February 2024, we published Faster, simpler and fairer: our plan to recover and reform NHS dentistry, which is backed by £200 million and will fund approximately 2.5 million additional appointments, or more than 1.5 million additional courses of dental treatment. The plan sets out our actions to improve dental access for patients across the country, and to address the challenges facing National Health Service dentistry.The following table shows how many NHS 111 calls were received, broken down into the mentioned categories, each year since 2018, the earliest year this data is available:Symptom Group2018/192019/202020/212021/222022/23Toothache625, 582629, 306928,000794,024868, 527Dental Problems2,27016, 53334, 37754,73858, 512Other Dental Problems, such as fillings, crowns, bridges, appliances, etc.84,09567, 876101,82272,47470,380Dental Module6730738955139Dental Bleeding14, 16613, 36217, 96213, 91616, 736Toothache after Dental Injury12,04711,62112, 58413, 86315, 154Dental Injury184205558484118Total Triages with a dental symptom738, 611738, 9331,096,041950, 4541,029,566 The above table provides the same information as for PQ13013, with one error to be corrected shortly on Hansard.

Surgery

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information her Department holds on the number of operations that were (a) cancelled and (b) delayed by more than two months due to the industrial action by junior doctors in 2023.

Andrew Stephenson: The number of operations that were cancelled due to the industrial action by junior doctors in 2023, was 157,570. Data is not held regarding operations delayed by more than two months. The National Health Service is prioritising urgent, emergency, and cancer care, and will continue to do its best to maintain appointments and elective procedures wherever possible. Cancelled appointments that need to be rescheduled, will be done so as a priority. Data on the impact of industrial action is available here:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/preparedness-for-potential-industrial-action-in-the-nhs/#heading-3

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Building Safety Fund

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many applications to the Building Safety Fund there were (a) in the initial phase from July 2020 and (b) since it reopened in July 2022.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many applications to the Building Safety Fund have been rejected (a) in the initial phase from July 2020 (b) since the Fund reopened in July 2022.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what information his Department holds on the total funding allocated to date under the Cladding Safety Scheme.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to publish the total funding allocated to date under the Cladding Safety Scheme in their monthly Building Safety Remediation reporting.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what information his Department holds on the number of buildings under the (a) aluminium composite material cladding programme and (b) building safety fund that also require remediation of non-cladding defects (i) under the developer self-remediation contract and (ii) unfunded by any scheme.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department's Building Safety Remediation: monthly data release - February 2024, published on 21 March 2024, what proportion of enforcement action taken by local authorities on high-rise buildings under the Housing Act 2004 relates to buildings that are not supported by any remediation funding scheme.

Lee Rowley: As at 29 February 2024, there have been 3,628 buildings that have applied to the Building Safety Fund. Of these, 3,488 buildings applied in the first tranche of opening and 140 applied in the second tranche of opening. Of the total that applied: 1,096 are ineligible – 1,089 are from the first tranche of opening and seven are from the second tranche. Further information about the status of buildings can be found at the following link.The Cladding Safety Scheme via Homes England provides details on allocated spend for each building. Since its launch in July, it has interacted with over 1,000 buildings. 450 are currently engaging with the application process, carrying out technical reports to enable eligibility assessment. Within its first nine months, 170 buildings have been deemed eligible via technical assessment and can now progress with the relevant support and funding to procure construction contracts and start remediation works. To date, £28.25 million has been provided for this work to take place. To be allocated further funding, eligible applicants need to procure the works required and submit a package of funding for approval. We are awaiting the outcome of this procurement activity in the market for 165 buildings to enable the next steps to be taken. The five applicants where their works have been approved amount to an allocation of £11 million.As at 29 February 2024, there are no buildings being monitored exclusively by the ACM programme and there are 15 buildings being monitored exclusively by the BSF programme that are having non-cladding defects remediated under the developer remediation contract. In addition, there are two buildings which are being monitored by both schemes. We do not have an estimate for the number of buildings in the ACM programme and BSF that are having non-cladding remediation works undertaken outside of the developer remediation contract.Information on enforcement action taken by local authorities on high-rise residential buildings under the Housing Act 2004 by buildings in: i) the ACM programme, ii) the BSF programme and iii) neither programme, is published in table Enforcement_1 of the monthly data release.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Biodiversity

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to help tackle biodiversity decline.

Rebecca Pow: This Government is committed to turning the tide on nature’s decline. That is why, in England, we have set four legally binding targets for biodiversity. We have legislated to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030 and to reverse species decline by 2042; to reduce the risk of species extinction; and to restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitats. These targets, alongside other targets, on water and air quality for example, will drive action to create and restore habitats, reduce pressures on nature, and recover species. We have set out our plan to deliver on these ambitious targets, along with our other environmental targets, in the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP23) published 31 January 2023. Here we link the different objectives, plans and mechanisms for recovering nature. We have introduced significant new funding for nature - for woodland and peatland restoration, for green recovery and for landscape scale nature recovery - and we are developing new land management schemes that reward environmental benefits. In the update to our Agricultural Transition Plan, published in January this year, we announced premium payments for actions that will achieve greater environmental benefits, supporting habitats and species. In November we announced the 34 projects selected for the £25 million second round of our Landscape Recovery scheme. These projects will collectively restore more than 35,000 hectares of peatland, create over 7,000 hectares of new woodland and benefit more than 160 protected sites (SSSIs). In June last year we also launched a £25 million Species Survival Fund to provide early progress towards our species abundance targets and support the recovery of declining species. The fund will support projects focussed on the creation and restoration of wildlife-rich habitats, including on protected sites. Successful applications to the fund will be announced this month.

Domestic Waste and Recycling: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council with (a) recycling and (b) rubbish collections.

Robbie Moore: The Government is introducing Simpler Recycling to ensure that across England, people will be able to recycle the same materials, no longer needing to check what their council will accept for recycling. The costs to deliver the new duties on local authorities for this reform will be funded by a combination of Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility payments provided to local authorities for the cost of collecting and managing household packaging waste through efficient and effective services, and reasonable new burdens funding from the Government to provide weekly food waste collections. We have brought forward up to £295 million in capital funding to roll out weekly food waste collections across England. This will cover the cost of additional bins and vehicles. Initial grants have now been issued to local authorities, including Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, for their transitional capital funding allocation for financial year 2023/24. Transitional resource costs will be paid from the 2024/25 financial year and ongoing resource costs paid from 1 April 2026.

Flood Control: Costs

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Seventh Report of the Committee of Public Accounts of Session 2023-24 on Resilience to flooding, HC 71, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the increase in construction costs on investment in flood defence maintenance; and what discussions he has had with the Environment Agency on any impact on its target of maintaining 98% of its high consequence flood defence assets at required condition.

Robbie Moore: At the last Spending Review the Government increased funding for maintenance of flood defences by £22 million per year. This funding ensures flood defences are kept in good working order. In 2023/24, the Government has gone even further, including switching £25 million from the capital programme to fund maintenance, so that the total allocation for this year is over £220 million. Defra and the Environment Agency (EA) are assessing the effects of inflation on the EA’s ability to maintain its flood and coastal risk management assets at the required condition. The effects of inflation and the recent winter storms have had an impact on flood defence condition. As of Q3, 97.2% of EA maintained assets in high consequence systems were at or above the required condition. Where assets are not in required condition, this identifies that work is required. It does not mean that there is a risk of asset failure or that performance in a flood is compromised. The EA are currently funded to maintain between 94-95% of high consequence EA assets at their target condition. The long-term target is to ensure 98% of all such assets are at required condition. Future flood defence maintenance budgets will be determined as part of the next Spending Review.

Power Stations: Air Pollution and Carbon Emissions

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what account his Department takes of emissions from (a) wood chip and (b) multifuel power plants in overall (i) air quality and (ii) carbon budget assessments.

Robbie Moore: Our accredited official statistics provide data on the emissions of key air pollutants. This includes emissions from the combustion of wood chips and other fuels in energy industries. Estimates of emissions for ‘wood chip’ are included in the total for emissions from the combustion of ‘wood’ more broadly and the data can be found here, and information on each pollutant can be found here. The Pollutant Release and Transfer Register also provides information on the emissions from specific power stations and industrial combustion plants. Performance against carbon budgets is assessed based on the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory, which includes all emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels at power stations. In accordance with UNFCCC guidelines, carbon dioxide emissions from biomass use are reported as a change in carbon stocks in the Land-Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry sector of the country where the biomass is harvested. They are also reported as a memorandum item in the country where the biomass is used, but are not counted in that country’s total emissions to avoid double counting.

Deposit Return Schemes

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the Welsh Government on a potential exclusion from the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 in the context of the inclusion of glass in a deposit return scheme.

Robbie Moore: We have always maintained that deposit return schemes across the UK should be interoperable to reduce complexity for businesses and consumers, and to avoid unnecessary barriers to trade. We want to ensure that the schemes operate seamlessly for businesses and consumers across the UK. Defra is working closely with devolved administrations on the next steps to achieve interoperable schemes that work across the UK. There has been no recent discussion with the Welsh Government on a potential exclusion from the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 in the context of the inclusion of glass in a deposit return scheme.

Water Charges

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department have made an assessment of the increase in water costs for metred properties against unmetered properties.

Robbie Moore: Customers with water meters installed are charged based on the volume of water consumed, while those without a meter are charged for their water and sewerage services based on the rateable value of their property. The Government has asked water companies to increase smart metering and has enabled compulsory metering in areas of water stress, where there is consumer support and it represents value for money, as set out in the Plan for Water. This can allow bill payers to cut costs by using water more efficiently where possible and assist in reducing overall water consumption by enabling water companies to reduce leakage, further reducing bills for customers. Some water companies also offer a lowest bill guarantee for consumers who switch to a metered charge, which guarantees the best value price for the first few years of installation and the option to switch back to unmetered charges if the meter is not helpful.

Rivers: Sewage

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what compensation do water companies who have released sewage into the river pay to (a) residents and (b) businesses when they flood with contaminated water.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure water companies provide compensation for (a) businesses and (b) residential properties flooded with sewage in the water.

Robbie Moore: The Government considers the level of sewage being discharged to our waterways to be unacceptable. However, sewage is sometimes released to waterways under strict conditions to avoid it backing up into peoples’ homes and businesses. Water companies are obliged to provide sewerage services under the Water Industry Act 1991. If a water company has failed to provide minimum standards of service to consumers, consumers are entitled to complain to their provider. We expect companies to respond to complaints appropriately and in a timely manner. This Government is acting to drive down flood risk from every angle. At the last spending review the government increased funding for maintenance of flood defences by £22 million per year, so now over £200 million per year goes on maintenance. This funding ensures flood defences are kept in good working order. Homeowners and businesses should contact their insurance provider if their property has been flooded. Flood Re is a joint government and insurance industry re-insurance scheme for UK households at high flood risk, available via more than 85 insurance brands.

Electronic Cigarettes: Waste Disposal

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take legislative steps to minimise harm to the environment as a result of improper disposal of vapes.

Robbie Moore: Following the consultation on creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping, the recently published government response confirmed that the UK Government intends to bring forward legislation as soon as possible to ban the sale and supply of disposable vapes in England. Scotland and Wales also confirmed they intend to bring forward similar legislation and Northern Ireland is considering next steps following the consultation.